"Mu husband was the one that bought it for me to take to BMQ. He said he wishes he had one when he went on his BMQ."
-Well, if he went through CFRS Cornwallis in the 80s, then, yes, he would have sewn a small strip of 1/4 inch medical tape onto virtually every piece of clothing he owned - minus the boots. He then would have put his last three, name, and initials on that strip with a black pen. Why not just write on the clothes? This was so the CF could re-issue the kit if the rct left early.
Rcts were marched to the Canex which stocked approved items for this purpose. A mechanical aide would have been impractical. It would have been 'secured' by the course NCOs for the duration of the crse, and stowed in the same box that held the platoons edged wpns they brought to CFRS.
'Buying stuff for Basic' is pretty much a waste of time. Harmless retail therapy. We all do it on courses and deployments.
You can sum up the endstate in one word: 'Yardsale'.
But, if it feels good, etc, etc.
Tom